While such research is ongoing, it’s important to consider what we as parents and providers can do right now to improve the quality of life of those with ASD. The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has issued a press release discussing the impact of vision in ASD:

“While the search to find the exact cause for ASD is ongoing, the visual link to autistic behaviors provides some answers and help to improve quality of life,” states COVD President, Dr. Ida Chung, O.D., FCOVD.

There has recently been a lot of research involving the role of vision in autism spectrum and other disorders, which you can read about here and here. There’s also a piece about eye movements in ASD in the Huffington Post.

In our practice, every day we see children with ASD who exhibit visual processing deficits that interfere with school, play, and social interactions. Fortunately, most of these visual anomalies can be improved through vision therapy.

“Visual processing problems are common in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. They can result in lack of eye contact, staring at objects, or using side vision… Suspect a visual processing problem if you see an autistic child tilt his head and look out of the corner of his eye… a child with poor vision processing may fear the escalator.”– Temple Grandin in The Way I See it: A Personal Look at Autism & Asperger’s

One of the most promising autism therapies available is DIR/Floortime, an approach which influences the style of the vision therapy we offer at the Vision & Conceptual Development Center. In fact, my colleague Dr. Mehrnaz Azimi Green holds an Intermediate Certificate as a DIR/Floortime provider. We first engage the child based on his individual interests, and adapt our therapy techniques based on those interests. We find this tailored approach to be successful with both neurotypical children and those with ASD or other special needs.

We also provide education to other professionals regarding the role of vision in autism spectrum disorders. To keep up-to-date with our speaking schedule, please join our mailing list (we send an e-newsletter about once a month), or visit our Facebook page.

The most recent Review of Optometry has three news items emphasizing the importance of infant and child eye and vision evaluation– not just a screening done by the pediatrician or school nurse.

The first describes how retinoblastoma, a rare but potentially fatal eye cancer found in children, can be detected by the appearance of a white pupil in baby photos. It used to be thought that early stage eye cancer couldn’t be detected this way, but a recent study found that early disease in a child as young as 12 days can be visible as a white pupil.

When treated early, retinoblastoma is often curable.

Next, a new study shows that in children with autism, changes in visual behavior can be

Using eye-tracking technology, researchers found that infants later diagnosed with autism showed a decline in attention to others’ eyes by two to six months of age.

detected in the first few months of life. The children that were later diagnosed with autism started out showing normal eye contact with caregivers, but over the next several months their eye contact decreased. Decrease in eye contact began somewhere between two and six months of age. Since the social interaction (eye contact) started out intact, it suggests that there may be another opportunity for early intervention in autism.

Finally, researchers in Sweden discovered that children born before 32 weeks gestational age had a much higher– up to 19 times– risk for retinal detachment by adolescence or young adulthood. The risk for retinal detachment increased with age. So for children born prematurely, it’s very important to have annual dilated eye examinations. It’s also critical to know the signs and symptoms of a retinal detachment: sudden onset or sudden increase of floating spots in the vision, which may look like hairs, cobwebs, or debris in the visual field; flashes of light in the affected eye; and what may look like a curtain or shadow over part of the visual field. If a person notices any of these symptoms, it’s critical to contact an eye care provider immediately. A retinal detachment is an emergency, and the sooner it can be repaired, the more likely the person’s sight can be saved.

If you have any concerns about your child’s developing vision, the first step is a comprehensive eye and vision evaluation. The American Optometric Association sponsors a public health initiative called InfantSEE, which provides no-cost examinations to children between 6 and 12 months of age. Infantsee.org can help you find a participating provider in your area. Yearly eye examinations are also now covered by all insurances as an essential benefit for children under 19 as a part of the Affordable Care Act.

At the Vision & Conceptual Development Center, we provide evaluation and non-invasive, non-surgical treatment for a variety of vision disorders, including Convergence Insufficiency, Strabismus (eye turn), Amblyopia (lazy eye), problems with tracking, Visual Perceptual disorders, and visual anomalies secondary to developmental delay, autism, concussion, stroke, or brain injury. We are also InfantSEE providers.

Blue laser toys have burned holes in the retinas of 30 boys, recently reported Saudi Arabia’s King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine. These toys, available on the internet, may seem harmless but in fact can cause serious eye damage. So if your child received such a toy over the holidays, you may want it to become “lost”. Just tell Uncle Bob that UPS never delivered.

“I really want to make others aware of vision therapy because I know there must be many children out there who’ve just been labelled slow readers (or disruptive, ADD, etc.) when in fact they have vision difficulties. I hope I can help spread the word.”

It’s always nice when research proves the benefit of what we’ve already been doing in clinic.

For the last several years, as e-readers have become more prevalent, I have been recommending them to many of my patients. In our clinic, we have found that by increasing the font size (which also increases letter/word spacing and decreases the number of words per line), many of our vision therapy patients report that they can read more quickly, with better comprehension and less fatigue.

So I was quite pleased to hear an NPR story a few days ago about a study described in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers had dyslexic students read on specially formatted iPods or printed text. For many of the students, reading on the iPods (limited to about 3 words per line) greatly improved their reading speed and fluency.

The lead researcher, Matthew Schneps, director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, postulates that the mechanisms involved include visual attention span; saccades (the small word-to-word eye movements we make when reading); and visual crowding. By limiting the amount of text per line, deficiencies in those areas don’t have the same effect as when a person reads a normally printed page.

What I find interesting is that in the article, there was no mention of whether these students had had a comprehensive vision examination to look for oculomotor dysfunction, convergence problems (excess or insufficiency), or other binocular vision disorders. In numerous other publications, there have been links between dyslexia and eye movement disorders and binocular vision problems. In many studies of learning disabilities and vision disorders, it has been found that up to 70% of students who have been diagnosed with a learning disability have a vision problem that may be causing or exacerbating that learning difficulty. It would be interesting to see whether the population described in Dr. Schneps’s study has a similar incidence of vision problems.

Fortunately, vision therapy has shown to be a very effective tool in eliminating the underlying visual problems that interfere with reading and learning. And in the meantime, an iPod fits neatly in your pocket.

The September issue of Vision & Learning News has news you can use, just in time for back to school. Are your kids having vision issues that keep them from learning as well as they should? Are they working too hard to get their homework done?

The 5 most common signs that a vision problem may be interfering with your student’s ability to read and learn are:

Skips lines, rereads lines

Poor reading comprehension

Homework takes longer than it should

Reverses letters like “b” into “d” when reading

Short attention span with reading & schoolwork

Just one of these symptoms could mean that your child is struggling with a vision problem.Call today to schedule a developmental vision evaluation: (301) 951-0320

Many of the patients we see for Vision Therapy have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Vision Therapy is a very effective treatment for many of the vision problems associated with ASD, such as poor eye contact, side viewing, visual stimming (such as staring at lights or spinning objects). VT is also effective for strabismus and amblyopia, which are more common in people with ASD. However, it is usually only after parents have exhausted all other forms of therapy that they address their child’s visual issues. This is understandable, yet frustrating.

It is understandable that a parent can’t often tell that the child is experiencing a vision problem, since we can’t see through another person’s eyes. And when a child isn’t able to clearly articulate what they’re experiencing visually, and assumes that what he sees is the same as what everybody else sees, how can he ask for help?

At the same time, it’s frustrating when a child struggles for years with difficulties with tracking, saccades (quick eye movements that are essential for reading), convergence (pointing the two eyes together at near), or visual integration, when these problems can be easily remedied. COVD.org and VisionTherapyDC.com have more information about vision and autism, including symptoms checklists for vision problems.

April should be not just Autism Awareness Month, but Autism and Vision Awareness Month.

Like this:

Please join us for a very special evening. Dr. Harry Wachs and Dr. Serena Wieder will discuss their new book, Visual/Spatial Portals to Thinking, Feeling and Movement: Advancing Competencies and Emotional Development in Children with Learning and Autism Spectrum Disorders

This long-awaited text provides therapists and parents interventions for use at home, school, and therapy offices. Involving affect-based Floortime approaches and other problem-solving experiences, these strategies address unrecognized challenges that often derail life competencies, learning, and development. More about the book and authors here.

Please join us for this informal gathering where you can chat with the authors and have them autograph your copy of the book while you enjoy some wine and cheese. Limited quantities of Visual/Spatial Portals will be available for purchase.

We want to thank everyone who came out to support us at the Funville Parenting Fair at White Flint Mall last Saturday. We really feel like it was a great success, and had a blast playing bean bag toss with all the kids. It was a good opportunity to educate parents about the importance of healthy vision for success in school.

Most of the parents we spoke with mentioned that their children had undergone a vision screening at school, and that “everything was fine’. What most parents don’t realize is that in the majority of school screenings will NOT catch binocular vision problems, or other visual problems that affect reading and deskwork.I have seen many many children who have passed school or pediatrician vision screenings yet continue to needlessly struggle with undiagnosed vision problems.

It is important for children to have an annual eye and vision examination with a licensed eye doctor who specializes in children’s vision, particularly as it relates to learning. Developmental Optometrists specialize in children’s vision, and evaluate the multiple visual skills one needs for school and work success. To find a Developmental Optometrist near you, go to COVD.org.